Gabonnome
by Loyal Subject
Summary: It's not easy living in Republic City. If you wanna live here, you got to be fast. You got to be bold, daring even. You got to be willing to take risks. Because if you can't catch up with Republic City, you'll just get eaten alive.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **Gabannome**  
**

**Rating: **M**  
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**Summary: **It's not easy living in Republic City. If you wanna live here, you got to be fast. You got to be bold, daring even. You got to be willing to take risks. Because if you can't catch up with Republic City, you'll just get eaten alive.**  
**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Legend of Korra or the Legend of Korra characters. The original characters, however, are my own.**  
**

**Gabannome:** _Intersection on a Go Board_

* * *

**Where All the Players are Introduced and the Story Begins**

It's not easy living in Republic City. The poor pretty much stay poor, the gangs run the city, there's some sort of anti-bender revolution brewing, and if you aren't careful enough you could easily end up floating in the Yue Bay one morning. It's a description like that that makes one question why so many people would even bother living in a place like Republic City. But the answer is easy: it's a city that never sleeps, a city that's always on the go. The way the city lights up at night is like nothing you've ever seen before. The nightclubs that are open until 3 in the morning filled to the brim with people who are just looking for a good time. The theaters that play the moving pictures for just five yuans. The stands of food that hail from every nation, one right next to the other. The latest fashion trends. The characters. One could go on and on when describing what this city's got to offer.

But you got to be fast if you want to fully experience it. You got to be bold, daring even. You got to be willing to take risks. Because if you can't catch up with Republic City, you'll just get eaten alive.

There's currently a girl who's got no sense of how this city works. How it manages to function day to day. Clearly F.O.B. Maybe she'll learn. Maybe she won't. She better learn fast though because the feds are already on her tail.

Her polar bear-dog is causing a ruckus as she plows through anything and anyone that stands in her way. If you thought dodging a satomobile in the middle of a chase was difficult, you clearly haven't tried to dodge a polar bear-dog. At least the satomobiles stay on the road. For the most part.

A young woman exclaims something incoherently as the polar bear-dog nearly takes out the man she's walking with. Luckily, he manages to get out of the way before the massive paw completely takes him out. Unfortunately, the paper boy the polar bear-dog will run into next isn't so lucky. Not that he dies, mind you, but his papers go flying all over the place. And that's his livelihood gone for the day. Just like that, in the blink of an eye. That's what this city will do to you.

"Sorry!" the girl manages to say as she continues to destroy the city around her. An older gentlemen and his partner watch from afar as the girl nearly crashes into a satomobile. They look at her in surprise and yet there's also a hint of shame. You never really want to run into someone that's making a complete fool of themselves especially when they're from the same nation as you.

"Was that a polar bear-dog?" the younger of the two asks as they watch the girl try to pull a fast one by making a sharp turn.

"I swear, Water Tribe immigrants are the worse," the older one replies.

Then of course there are the feds. She's managed to elude a few of them but they're still hot on her trail. Two in particular seem rather persistent in tracking her down. As if their futures depend on it. However, that sudden sharp turn throws one of them off and the other slows down to check on her partner.

"Shit," she says as she realizes they've lost a lot of ground on the girl. She should have just kept going, shouldn't have looked back. But he's family so she's really got no choice. He's perfectly fine though and she really should have more faith in him. When you're a pair like that, you got to trust the other one or you're done.

So the girl on the polar bear-dog continues to run. She won't get much further before the feds finally catch up to her and take her downtown. But that's for another story…

**OoOoO**

"Airi my dear, this calls for a celebration!" Kenji exclaimed as they walked down the streets of Republic City side by side. His hair was unusually more messy than usual as if he had been pulling at his hair in excitement shortly before.

"Uh-huh," Airi replied just as excitedly. Her faded yellow hat bobbed up and down as she walked along with her dark brown hair. The long brown coat she was wearing and faded pink dress was swaying with each step.

"To think we'll be playing the infamous bank robbers Roba and Kiri! It's the role of a lifetime, the role that could single handedly launch our careers." With each sentence, Kenji became more and more excited. And, as the excitement rose within him, his hands moved fluently as he described their amazing fortune. "Just think of it: we'll be just like Shin-Shin. People will recognize us on the street, saying 'hey, isn't that Airi and Kenji?' And then they'll beg us for our autographs. We'll be just as famous as the pro-benders."

"That sounds amazing!"

"It does, doesn't it?" Suddenly Kenji stopped walking and, turning to Airi, he grabbed her so she was now leaning back. She held onto the sleeve of his shirt for support with one hand while her other hand was wrapped in his own. His light grey eyes were looking intently into her dark brown ones. "Airi, with our careers about to take a huge turn for the better, will you marry me?"

"No, Kenji," she replied but her voice was just as chipper and high pitched as it had been before, as if she hadn't just completely refused a proposal. In fact, she was even smiling a little as she looked at him.

"Well, one of these days you will," Kenji remarked, clearly un-phased by her refusal. He then lifted her up and the two continued walking. "Now, we've got to take these roles seriously Airi." He held up a finger as he said this as though he were reprimanding her. "No playing around."

"No playing around," Airi repeated.

"We've got to really get in character. Really get inside their shoes."

"I hope we're the same shoe size," Airi said thoughtfully.

"We're definitely the same shoe size. We were born to play these two."

"It's our calling." There was a bit of shouting coming from behind them but the two were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't seem to take much notice in it. Besides, people were always shouting in Republic City which made it easy to ignore.

"That's right! Now—" However, before Kenji could continue, someone bumped into them as they tried to get out of the way of something. The two turned as a giant polar bear-dog came running past them. One of its massive paws was just inches away from Kenji, nearly about to come down upon him.

"Kenji!" Airi shouted as he managed to fall back away from the creature and fell on the ground. Airi bent down beside him. "Are you alright?" she asked worriedly.

"I'm fine," Kenji replied but he continued to remain on the ground as he recovered from the fall. "But did you see that amazing polar bear-dog?"

"That polar bear-dog almost trampled you!"

"Yes, but it was an amazing sight!" The two then started to get up together as people were clearly now getting annoyed that they were blocking the sidewalk. Once they were up, Kenji brushed his dark brown shirt before they continued along their way only as they continued their arms were interlocked with one another.

**OoOoO**

"Was that a polar bear-dog?" Taho asked as he saw the strange creature running down the street, nearly taking out a pedestrian in the process. Although he had Water Tribe blood in him, he had never been to the North or South Pole before.

"Water Tribe immigrants are the worse," his partner, Capac replied gruffly. "Come on, let's get out of here." If there was a crazy immigrant wreaking havoc then the feds would be nearby. With that, the two slipped away from the crowd through a nearby alley.

"Hey Capac, you ever seen a polar bear-dog?" Taho asked. He knew Capac had been an immigrant back in the day but that had been when he was very young and before Taho was even born.

"Yeah, I've seen one. Tore a man's hand clean off before my dad gut the son of a bitch." The alley led to another street where their blue satomobile was parked. It was just an average blue one that could easily be mass produced and blend with all the rest. Because that's how the Red Monsoons worked: they weren't as flashy as the Triple Threats, they preferred to stay as under the radar as possible. Although, that didn't stop them from wearing blue fedoras: Taho's was light blue while Capac's was a much darker shade to the point where it could be almost considered black.

Taho and Capac climbed into the vehicle, slamming the doors behind them. Capac took a minute to get himself settled before starting the car and driving off.

"Now remember, tonight the deal's goin' down with Lightning Bolt Zolt's gang at 8 p.m. sharp," Capac was saying. "We get in, we make the exchange, and we leave."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it," Taho replied nonchalantly, the toothpick in his mouth hanging loosely from the edge of his lips as he lay back in his seat. "Hey, whatta ya say we catch a couple of pro-bending matches after the exchange?"

"If you want to waste your time on some god damn matches then be my guest Taho."

"Hey, you bet on some of them matches too!" Taho replied defensively. He hated it when Capac patronized him; like he was some goddamn messiah.

"Yeah but not right when we're working on a deal. Man, that place is goin' to be _crawling_ with those mother fuckin' feds. And I ain't sticking around for that shit." Capac turned off the main road and onto a side street. "But like I said: if you want to go and do that shit, fine. But you're walking home." He made another turn towards another side street.

"Yeah, that's fine," Taho said, thinking it was best to leave the conversation alone despite the fact he was still pissed.

The satomobile came to a halt as they had reached their destination.

"I'll pick you up at 7:30. Don't be late," Capac said as Taho got out of the car. Without saying another word, Taho shut the door and Capac was off.

**OoOoO**

"Ugh, I can't believe this!" Lei groaned as she pulled her helmet off. "We could have had her!"

"Relax sis, it's no big deal. Not like we were the only ones having trouble," Kato replied, also removing his helmet. The two stood on the ledge of the large police airship, looking down at the city below them. Even from way up there, it still looked so big and magnificent. The people looked as though they were ants, completely insignificant as they frantically searched through an endless maze. Just below them the girl they had been pursuing was safely tied along with her polar bear-dog. She had been trying to wiggle herself free but had by this point realized it was completely futile.

"Still, it would have looked good if we had gotten her," Lei added before they walked back inside the massive airship.

"Yeah, I'm sure it would have but like I said, it's no big deal. Stop worrying about it," Kato said. Although his tone didn't suggest it, he was reprimanding her now. She gave him a look but obeyed and kept silent. "To be honest though, I'm a little surprised you actually stopped to check up on me. You must really care," he added and now it was clear he was teasing her.

"Shut up."

There was nothing spectacular about the ride back to the station. It was just like any other ride. Just before they exited the airship, Lei and Kato placed their helmets back on. However, what they weren't expecting was Lieutenant Sho waiting for them to return.

"Lieutenant Sho, fancy meeting you here," Kato said immediately upon seeing him. He didn't look too pleased at the informality but this was probably mostly due to the fact that he just didn't like Kato.

"You're wanted in the debriefing room for a special assignment," Lieutenant Sho said sternly before leaving. Lei and Kato exchanged a quick look at one another before smiling.

"Special assignment!" Kato exclaimed. "You know what that means?"

"That promotion is as good as ours," Lei replied.

"See? I told you not to worry so much."

"Alright, listen up," Lieutenant Sho began once all the officers had entered the debriefing room. A board with various photographs and a map of the pro-bending arena was displayed behind him. "We have reason to believe that an exchange will be occurring between the Triple Threats and the Red Monsoons during the pro-bending matches this evening. You are all to go under cover and bust the exchange." He then pointed to the various photographs. "These men are said to be involved tonight so be on the lookout for them." Lei studied their faces and which gang they were a part of, attempting to memorize as many distinguishable features as possible.

"Our inside man is under the impression that the exchange will take place up here." Sho pointed to a particular section of the arena. "I want Squad One to be in this area. Squad Two through Five will be situated here, here, here, and here respectively. The rest of you will be guarding the exits." The room was silent as everyone listened intently to the directions. "It is important that you allow the exchange to happen before pursuing the intended targets."

Here, the Lieutenant took a breath and looked as though he was rather reluctant to say what he was about to say. "I will be in charge of what goes on in the arena. Officers Lei and Kato will be in charge of the perimeter."

Kato and Lei immediately exchanged a small glance. But it was one that went unnoticeable by the rest of the officers. It was their small glance of victory.

**OoOoO**

The papers were flying everywhere. Just like that, he had lost all the papers. As soon as the polar bear-dog had left, Shiki immediately ran into the street, desperately trying to pick up whatever papers he could. But it was useless: most of them were no good. Still, he took whatever papers he could and acted as though nothing was wrong.

"This just in! Hideki's found guilty!" Shiki shouted at the top of his lungs as he tried to draw in whatever customers he could. But most were too frazzled by the recent events to notice the paper boy. Still, he tried to keep his positive attitude because no one would buy the papers otherwise. But deep down, he was dying inside.

* * *

**Author's Note: **_I know I said I didn't want to post my OC-related fanfictions on here because I believed no one would read them. But, I figured 'why the hell not?'. So I posted this. While the plot of Korra is obviously going to be important in some ways, I really wanted to focus on these other characters that I've had in my head since about the summer. Because the 1920s is just one of my favorite time periods and gangster/noir is one of the my favorite genres (I'm perfectly aware that most noir is 1930s-40s during prohibition) so I couldn't help creating characters that would fit in the Avatar Universe. And I couldn't help but to combine elements from my favorite genres. So hopefully, people will enjoy this story regardless of the lack of main characters (though main characters will obviously make brief appearances). I also plan on having a lot of intertextuality with other works related to this genre so be on the look out for that. _


	2. Chapter 2

**An Exchange Goes Down; Shiki Finds Himself Roaming the Streets**

The street lights were on but there were still plenty of people walking around. But it didn't matter: his news was old news now. There were no more newspapers anyway. He had to throw out the ones that had been ruined for the simple reason that no one would buy them. His pockets were practically empty and his stomach was growling like crazy.

Shiki hadn't been in this kind of position for a long time. Sure, he had had bad days. But none like this. And what was worse, he still had to get back to Ozu. Just the thought of him made Shiki sick to his stomach.

A couple of other boys were heading home too. Home. He didn't consider Ozu's establishment a home but it was the closest thing he had. It was either that or living in the streets. Though sometimes he felt he had a better chance out there than with this guy. It was either that or an orphanage. But no kid wanted to be cooped up in an orphanage.

The other boys were heading inside, handing Ozu whatever money they had made for the day. Shiki gulped as he searched his pocket for what little yuans he possessed. Luckily, the other boys had brought in a good amount of money. Hopefully that meant Ozu would be in a good mood. Hopefully.

Shiki handed Ozu whatever money he had. He was never sure if Ozu was as big and powerful as he appeared to be or if that was only due to the fact he often felt small and insignificant in front of him. It didn't take long for Shiki to realize Ozu was not happy.

"Looks like we had a bad day," Ozu remarked.

"…A polar bear-dog ran into me…" Shiki replied timidly.

"I don't care what happened," Ozu suddenly snapped. "This is pitiful. Make sure you do better tomorrow."

"Yes sir." Shiki then went to follow the rest of the boys. But suddenly, a slash of fire appeared in front of him, blocking the way.

"Where do you think you're going?" Ozu said as he whisked the fire away on a whim. "No money, no food. And no shelter. Come back tomorrow morning." And that was it. Shiki couldn't do anything more other than to leave at Ozu's command. So he did.

It was funny how the streets seemed even more merciless once you knew you had no place to go for the night. He kicked the pavement as he walked; thinking over what he could do next. He knew he'd end up sleeping in front of Ozu's place simply so he could be there bright and early for the next batch of papers. But he didn't feel like hanging around there now. Maybe someone would be generous and throw him a couple of scraps. Maybe he could find some scraps in the garbage.

A part of him wanted to cry but he didn't. He couldn't cry, couldn't let Ozu get to him.

"Hey now, why are you lookin' so down in the dumps?" he suddenly heard someone say. At first, Shiki wasn't sure if this was directed towards him. It wasn't until he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him that he realized he was indeed being spoken to. The man was wearing a light blue fedora, a white collar shirt with the sleeves rolled up, brown pants, and red suspenders. He also had a stuffed long eared rabbit that he held by its ears. Shiki didn't say anything, too timid to do so, but the sudden growl his stomach made said it all. The man smiled. "You're lucky you caught me in a good mood," the man said.

He then flipped a couple of yuans in the air, towards Shiki. Caught off guard, Shiki desperately tried to catch them as if his life depended on it. He caught them and stared at the shiny coins in disbelief.

"See ya around," the man said as he started to walk off.

"Th—thank you," Shiki said in disbelief as he turned to face the leaving man.

"Don't mention it." With his back turned to Shiki, he waved him off before eventually disappearing down a side street.

OoOoO

The pro-bending matches had already started. Or, at least, Lei guessed they had started due to the cheering and screaming coming from the arena. She and Kato circled the building, making sure everyone was in place for when the culprits would exit the building.

"You know, I'm beginning to wish we'd been placed _inside _the arena," Kato remarked as he heard the cheering fans, looking longingly at the arena.

"We're here to work," Lei replied. Kato rolled his eyes at her.

"Funny, you don't look it," he retorted. And this was true: neither of them was in their uniforms. They were supposed to be under cover after all. Lei's short bob was ever present and was surprisingly down for once. It was strange but she felt absolutely ridiculous with her hair down. So she felt the need to glare at Kato as if it were his fault she was stuck in such a state. But Kato merely ignored it. "I hope no one's watching us. They'd think we were complete idiots walking around the arena like this." He then rubbed a hand through his light colored hair.

"I doubt anyone's paying attention," Lei said. The two didn't say anything after that. Not until one of the officers from inside the building came out to talk with them.

"Lieutenant Sho sent me. We've seen the exchange happen. Look for a man with a scar over his right eye wearing a deep red suit," the officer said.

"Got it." And so, the two set to work informing everyone what they had learned. Now they just needed to wait. Wait for the man with the scar to come out. They could do this. It shouldn't be difficult.

It seemed as though they were waiting for an eternity. The minutes dragged. The matches dragged. Even Kato was beginning to grow impatient. Though Lei felt as though this was mostly due to the fact he thought the mission was interrupting his social life.

Finally, the matches were over. Of course they'd wait for the matches to end so they could leave with the most traffic. It'd be harder to spot them now. But they would catch them. Both Lei and Kato scanned the area like hawks. Each took a side as they searched desperately for the man with the scar.

"There he is," Kato said lowly as he nodded towards someone. Lei immediately turned towards him, following the direction he was looking in. Sure enough, there he was: a man with a deep red suit and a scar over his right eye. He was with two other men but Lei didn't find this very important. What she really focused on was the brown paper bag clasped in his hands as he walked towards a cab.

"Let's move in."

They walked calmly but briskly. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see other officers were moving in as well but they were keeping their distance. They were now opening the door to the cab.

"Excuse me there," Kato said as he took hold of the door. "But, do you mind if we have a look inside your bag?" His approach was that of a friend rather than enemy. Kato was always the 'good' cop of their partnership. The men eyed Kato and Lei suspiciously before looking at one another.

"Hey pal, get lost," the man with the scar replied.

"Woah, take it easy there," Kato remarked, holding his hands up in the air. Lei rolled her eyes: she had had enough of this. With a swift motion, she flipped open her badge for the three to see.

"We'll say it again: let us look in your bag sir." She was expecting some sort of fight, perhaps even a chase. But the man just smirked.

"Sure," he said smugly. Now skeptical, Lei took the bag from the man and opened it up.

It was just some dumplings.

"Can I go now officers? Or, are you going to arrest me for bringing a little snack?" He smirked, almost laughed at them. His two cronies grinned as well and they managed to let out a small laugh of victory. Lei looked at them, her expression hard despite the fact she was completely embarrassed at the moment. Reluctantly, she handed them the bag.

"Get out of here," Lei said irritably.

"Well excuse me," the man scoffed before entering the cab with his two pals and slamming the door on them.

"Damn it!" Lei grimaced as the cab drove away. Although he didn't say anything, it was clear Kato wasn't too pleased by the way things had turned out either. But he was always the type that kept his anger quiet. The two couldn't help but to watch as the car continued to drive away before it was eventually completely out of sight. Even after the cab had left, they still checked the perimeter, just in case. But nothing turned up.

OoOoO

Taho was sitting impatiently in his chair as the pro-bending matches continued. The person in front of him was out of their seat. Must have been a favorite team of theirs. Either way, it was a good excuse to rock the seat in front of him out of impatience. With his toothpick on the edge of his mouth, he took a glance towards the right of him. There were two men nearby. Feds. They were undercover but he knew a fed when he saw one. Taho then looked towards Capac who was a few rows away. Capac gave a nod: an exaggerated one, one the feds could easily see. But it would still appear subtle to the untrained eye.

Capac made a gesture to another one of the gang as the signal continued. The other guy was sitting with one of the Triads: a guy in a deep red suit with a scar over his right eye. But Taho stopped paying attention at that point. His job was done. He knew Capac was probably leaving at this point. On one hand, he knew there was a chance the cops would give him a hard time if he left with the Triads. But his team hadn't played yet and there was one thousand yuans riding on this one.

And it was a gamble too. Everyone placed bets on the Wolfbats for this current match. But there was no money to be made with these guys. Which was why Taho bet on the next match.

The crowd was up in an uproar. Apparently, the Wolfbats had won. What a surprise. Out of the corner of his eye, Taho saw one of the coppers moving out of the arena. No doubt to tell his fellow officers that the exchange had taken place. Taho couldn't help but to smirk at this.

"Bunch of chumps," he said. Finally, his match was up. He stood up in his chair now as the two teams took their positions.

"Introducing the Xiao Yao Zebra Frogs!" the announcer in the center of the ring called through his microphone. Immediately, a bunch of people began to cheer as the team came forward. Taho wasn't one of them. The other team was now approaching the ring. "Introducing, the Fire Ferrets!" There were cheers but not nearly as many as there had been for the Zebra Frogs.

The two teams faced one another in the center of the ring, taking their positions, waiting for the bell to sound and the match to begin. Taho leaned over the edge of his seat, waiting anxiously for the bell to go off. When it did, his heart leaped at the sound.

"Come on Fire Ferrets!" Taho said as he watched his team immediately take on the offensive. The waterbender was a little off (at least, Taho felt he could easily take him in a fight) but the earthbender and firebender were what he was betting his money on. They had now pushed the opposing team into zone two. "Yes, yes."

Taho looked over towards the cops who despite the fact they were supposed to be working seemed to be enjoying the match as well. Suddenly, the bell sounded and that was the end of round one. Taho looked back at the arena and the Fire Ferrets had nabbed the first round. But it was clear right from the beginning that they wouldn't nab the second: the Zebra Frogs had completely altered their strategy by targeting the weakest link of the group. In less than a minute, the waterbender was knocked out. "No, no!" Taho remarked in desperation. Shit, they needed to adjust!

But they couldn't adjust. Not in time anyway. The Zebra Frogs took the second round. Of course it would come down to the final round. Now standing, Taho watched as the third match began. He watched as the Fire Ferrets seemed to have some sort of plan. He wasn't sure what it was but they definitely appeared to be planning something as they weren't as offensive as they had been before. He only hoped their plan would work.

"Come on baby," Taho said eagerly. And suddenly, the Zebra Frogs were lined up vertically with the firebender charging them. This immediately caused the three to be pushed back into zone three just as the sound of the bell rang.

"And the Fire Ferrets take the match!" the announcer rang throughout the arena.

"Yes! One thousand yuans baby!" Taho exclaimed as he rubbed his hands through his short brown hair. His heart was pounding rapidly as the sound of their victory rang in his ear. He couldn't believe it. They had actually won. Man, was this a good day!

Once his adrenaline rush had subsided, Taho left the arena to collect his winnings. Swiper was on the lower level, apparently un-phased by the numerous cops.

"I tell ya, you sure know how to pick 'em Taho," Swiper said as he handed him the one thousand big ones.

"Thanks," Taho replied before heading out. By this time, the attendees were starting to leave, leaving the outside of the arena completely packed. As Taho left, he saw the man in the deep red suit.

"Can I go now officers? Or, are you going to arrest me for bringing a little snack," he was saying to the two officers whom he couldn't see. Taho couldn't help but to snicker at their predicament. Chumps.

The streets were as lively as ever as most people were making their way home. It would be a long walk but Taho didn't mind. It had been worth it. Before leaving the richer side of town, he stopped in a store to pick up a stuffed long eared rabbit. Carrying it by the ears, Taho continued into the rougher part of the neighborhood. As he walked, Taho suddenly noticed a little boy sniffling in the streets about something.

"Hey now, why are you lookin' so down in the dumps?" Taho asked as he hovered over the kid. The kid didn't say anything. But his stomach growled loudly. That said it all. "You're lucky you caught me in a good mood," Taho said, smiling. He then flipped the kid a couple of yuans before walking away. "See ya around."

"Thank you!" he heard the kid call from behind.

"Don't mention it," Taho replied, waving the kid off as he left.

Taho finally came to a series of rundown buildings. He climbed up the steps that were crawling with city rats no doubt looking for a snack. All the walls had cracks running along towards the ceiling and down the hall. It was dark and damp to the point where it reminded Taho of a prison rather than an apartment. Towards the end of the hall, he reached for a door that read 221 on the front. The door looked as though it would collapse at any given moment. He turned the rusty doorknob and quietly walked in.

Taho ignored the woman sleeping on the couch who was undoubtedly drunk. Or worse. Instead, he went to the small room on the other side of the apartment. He leaned over the bed and lightly shook whoever was under the torn covers.

"Hey there kiddo," Taho whispered to the girl that was just waking up. "I got somethin' for ya." He then handed her the stuffed long eared rabbit.

"Uncle Taho?" she replied, still waking up. However, when she noticed the toy, she was immediately awake as she hugged it tightly. "Thank you."

"You're welcome there, kid," Taho said as he laughed lightly. He placed a hand on her head. "Now go back to sleep." It didn't take her long to obey: she immediately rested back in her bed and shut her eyes as she clutched the stuffed animal. Taho watched her for a moment before leaving her room and going to bed.

OoOoO

In a small apartment where many of the middle-class citizens of Republic City could be found, Airi and Kenji were currently getting ready for bed. They each sat on their own bed and a curtain hanging along a string separated the two. Once Airi was finished, she went to her nightstand and took the script that was currently resting on it.

"Hey Kenji, what do you think Roba and Kiri were thinking when they robbed banks," Airi asked as she started to read some of the pages.

"Hmm…" Kenji said as he momentarily stopped buttoning his blue and white striped pajamas. "I imagine they experienced a severe adrenaline rush as they ran for their lives! With the police shouting after them, cash falling out of their bags, and having the absolute time of their lives."

"Wow, I wish I could feel that," Airi replied as she lay on her back, looking up at the ceiling. Suddenly, a light bulb went off in Kenji's head.

"Airi!" he exclaimed, suddenly excited. He pushed the curtain that separated the two out of the way, taking a seat on her bed. The shock of this sudden action caused Airi to sit upright. "You just gave me the greatest idea!"


End file.
